I met my friend for lunch. Just an ordinary, everyday lunch. No fancy culinary expectations. Location: Powiśle. Where do we go? She says: Maybe VEG Deli on ul. Radna? I say OK, heard about it, no expectations. If it says VEG it’s a vegetarian place. No problem with that. I’ll eat something small and light, a hummus of some kind, a salad, anything. I don’t even know If I’m going to take the camera with me. Is it worth it?
In the morning Facebook tells me that 1st October is the International Vegetarianism Day! A moderately new celebration, established in 1977. Never heard of it though. Nevermind: every occasion is good to celebrate! Let’s go for a festive veg lunch then! VEG DELI seems like an even better option in such case but I still don’t expect to get blown away.
And suddenly, as soon as I enter, everything changes! The place itself looks good – it’s simple, not overcomplicated and interesting at the same time. Some chairs hanging here, a vase full of white flowers there. And the writing on the door: People who love to eat are always the best people! I like it!
I see a blackboard with lunch menu. Ok, let’s have some lunch! A baked tomatoes soup with garlic and basil and opened up ravioli with spinach, pistachios and oyster mushrooms for PLN 25 sound great! Got it! I’m not going to get fancy this time. But. I look at the menu and decide to try something more! No lunch menu then – everything makes me drool in here! Yes me, formerly known as the biggest vegetable opponent!
Carrot cream soup with coconut milk, popcorn, coriander and chili-raspberry dressing (PLN 12) looks really tempting. Same goes for baked quinoa balls with cheddar and broccoli (3 pcs. for PLN 14). In the end we come to a conclusion that a starter + soup + main course might be too much (especially if you’re planning to take the dessert!) and so we take a starter to share (hummus with stalks of green celery, cucumber, peppers and carrots(PLN 12).
Hummus is amazing! Thick, really sesame which we like and perfect with fresh and crispy vegetables. I enjoy carrot stalks which I would probably never have tried without SUCH hummus! I only avoid green celery. Guess my ‘anti vegetable’ taste buds aren’t ready yet. 🙂
Another dilemma with main courses: there’s so much good stuff on the menu! Ravioli with spinach and feta cheese in taleggio cheese sauce, or maybe oyster mushrooms. But in the end I go for a burger! A vegetarian one of course. The burger is made from quinoa and portobello mushrooms, served with rucola, tomato, gherkins, marinated onions, mayo and tomato sauces. PLN 28 for a set with baked potatoes. D. goes for a pumpkin curry with wild rice, cauliflower, oyster mushrooms, chickpeas, coriander, ginger and mango chutney (PLN 28) – that’s great because I really wanted to try this curry!
You can see how HUGE this burger is! I barely manage to eat it! quinoa and mushroom burger is great – fantastic texture and nice crispiness. The vegetables, sauce and mustard served separately add to the flavour. Baked potatoes are OK, but I’m not blown away*. Recently I’ve been definitely a fan of sweet potato fries. The curry is perfect on the other hand – one spoon makes me wanna return to VEG Deli with somebody else and order it for me. Perfect flavour, properly cooked rice and mango chutney which makes me think about Asia once again.
From the moment I entered the place, I knew I want to try some of their original desserts. Creme brulee made from cashews with homemade coffee infused vodka, vanilla from Madagascar and orange juice (PLN 23) seemed particularly tempting. Or maybe baked prunes with coconut milk, chia seeds and raw dactyl bottom (PLN 14)? Everything sounds like heaven! And I would surely be eating those prunes or slowly licking creme brulee from the spoon right now if it wasn’t for huge mascarpone and fig brownie we discovered sometime between hummus and the veg burger. God, how it looked! I didn’t get to take a picture, but we managed to eat it! And you know what? It was absolutely delicious – very chocolaty, with rich texture that made us think not only about brownies but also about chocolate blocks, covered with sweet mascarpone cream and topped with a fresh fig. Amazing!
I was so happy for the rest of the day! This lunch was just perfect! Not only because it was accompanied by some girly talk that always makes my mood go up but also because each bite made me happier that we ended up in this place!!! That’s vegetarian food that would win everybody who cares mainly about the flavour. This flavours are awesome!
PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
VEG Deli
ul. Randa
opening hours:
Mon – Sat. 12.00-21.00
Sunday 12.00-20.00
PS. plenty of meals at VEG deli is not only vegetarian but also gluten-free.
lunch after which we both rolled out of the place + a soup to go
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